Health Visitors: Children
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his department has to tackle the decline in the number of health visits to families with young children.
Answered by Mrs Sharon Hodgson
The number of health visits which must be offered to families in England has remained the same since 2015, with additional support provided according to need. Families must be offered at least five health visits, with four of these taking place post birth.
Health visiting service delivery data for England is published annually. The latest published data shows that, at a national level, a greater percentage of children received each post-birth health visit in 2024/25 compared to 2023/24, with the datasets and statistical commentaries available at the following two links:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/health-visitor-service-delivery-data-for-2024-to-2025
However, we recognise there is unwarranted regional variation in delivery, and we are working to reduce this. In line with the Government’s commitment to strengthening health visiting, set out in the Best Start in Life Strategy, we have recently published refreshed guidance for the Healthy Child Programme, which specifies requirements for health visiting services, in order to strengthen delivery and promote consistency in service quality. We are working closely with regional colleagues to support the implementation of this guidance across the country.
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